Blended family, we have different tastes in names

[ilovespringflowers]

Hi my husband and I have 3 kids each from previous relationships. We are expecting a baby together next month and cannot agree on names. His children have a complete different style of names to my children. His kids are Henrietta, Humphrey & Hugo and mine are Emily, Jack and Heidi.

We both wrote a list of names we like. His list has:

Frederick
Albert
Wilfred
Hector

Beatrice
Florence
Ottilie
Arabella
Claudia
Allegra

Mine has:
Harry
William
Thomas
Rory
Oliver

Sophie
Isobel
Amelia
Poppy
Imogen
Ava
Eleanor
Ella

How do we compromise??

Why don't you have Harry as you like it and it carries on with his H theme?

Those are not really different tastes in names. They're just different names.

Wilfred and William are quite similar.

Honestly I don't see your taste in names to be that different. They are all pretty classic names. Do you feel his are " posh" or something?

For instance I'd put Imogen and Sophie as having the same pretty vibe as Beatrice and Florence.

My only comment is many of your names are very much going to identify your child as " born in 2015-16 " -there is a boom in ava/Ella/Isobel ( and it's many variations) in different parts of the country. None of the other kids names define a time frame .

Henry nn Harry?

Frederick nn Freddie?

I'm struggling a bit to see the different styles too to be honest

What Liney said. They're nearly all lovely names with a victorian or edwardian flavour to them. There's hope

Bertie? Ralph? Florrrie? Isabella?

Florrie^

Why not go for something totally different then like Tanisha and Buddy Bear?

Agree with PPs that a lot of your names, albeit classic, would date your child in the same way that Kate/Louise/Rachel/Mark/Stephen date kids of the late 70s/early 80s, although they too are classic names. It's true for some of our dp's names too, in an 'upper middle class/try hard' kind of way. All that said, I like all these kinds of names. Can't find anything wrong with them. The only ones I don't really like are Poppy and Allegra.

Thomas, William, Isobel, Frederick, Sophie (getting unusual in this age group, very international, and lovely meaning - my ds1 would have been a Sophia) and Eleanor (another beautiful name) seem to me to be the closest to bridging the gap.

I don't think your tastes are as different as I was expecting when I read the thread title! I was expecting one list to have posh names like Araminta, Hermione etc and the other to have Kaylee, Jayden etc

I think all your boys names (except Rory perhaps) would work well with his children's names, and Sophie or Eleanor from your girls group would work well too. The rest of your girls names are lovely but very overused at the moment and I think in the future will definitely identify your children as being born in the 2010s!

From his list I don't think Frederick (Freddie/Fred) or Wilfred (Wilf) come across as overly posh and they'd work with your children's names. I like Beatrice, Florence and Ottilie from his list, though the first two are becoming very popular too.

As a PP suggested, I would go for names which bridge the gap between the styles of names the two of you like.

His Arabella could be shortened to your Ella.

I see what you mean op. Henrietta, Humphrey & Hugo are definitely a different type of name than Emily, Jack and Heidi. Emily, jack and heidi would be very popular names in my childrens' state schools but I've never come across the others, not even Hugo. Wilfred known as Will and Arabella known as Ella could work.

As an aside, I'm just wondering where Ottilie's sudden popularity has come from? I've seen it several times on here. It's a German name AFAIK but hasn't at all been included in the German wave of granny chic - it's been all Emma (this is a granny name in Germany), Klara, Lotte and Johanna.

I think your blended names are in the same style, with the exception of Heidi, and possibly Humohrey, they're typical of most of the families I know.

Arabella so you could call her Bella/Ella.

Get his Wilfred to your William.

But I really don't see a problem. Have you looked at named together where you tick all the names you like separately and then compare?

William Frederick for a boy, nn Wilf. Best of both worlds.
Arabella with nn Bella or Ella works well too.

Agree with others, they're not too terribly different in style. If I had to, I would call one list 'posh' and the other 'relatively modern staples'.

I would say Frederick and Florence/Beatrice from his list and William and Isabel/Eleanor from your list cross the (fairly small) boundary the best.

Other names to combine the two styles:
Alexander, Benjamin, Charles, Daniel, Edward, George, Joseph, James, John, Nicholas, Nathaniel, Oscar, Patrick, Zachariah

Annabelle, Abigail, Alexandra, Charlotte, Cassandra, Emily, Francesca, Felicity, Georgina, Hannah, Harriet, Joanna, Katherine, Lydia, Madeleine, Matilda, Natalia, Olivia, Philippa, Rebecca, Rhiannon, Susannah, Thea, Victoria, Zara

Personally I love love Ottilie, mostly because it's my DDs name and was my Great Nan's name, yes I am German. I can see what you mean about the difference in names. Heidi is also a popular German name so those two for me blend well.

I do think a name like Henry which could be shortened to Harry could be an idea? I know several people whose mum call them A and Dad B. Maybe open up the name ideas to your children and see if you could get more ideas?

Prefer your boys names 100% and aren't keen on wither sets of girls names.

Yours are the obviously popular names but his are the 'trying hard not to be popular' popular names.

*either

I wouldn't go for Henry as he has a Henrietta.

Frederick (Freddie) and Wilfred (Will/Wilf) are the obvious boys choices that fit both name sets well. For girls, Amelia, Eleanor, Claudia and Arabella (Ella) seem like they might appeal to both styles.

Thank you for all of the replies. I see what you mean that the names are along the same style as all are classics. The names my husband likes aren't as popular as the ones that I like.

I suggested Wilson as he likes Wilfred and I like William but he didn't like it. He likes my names just doesn't like the popularity of them. I suggested Isabella as well as he likes Arabella and I like Isobel but he didn't like it!